26" MTB wheels and tires on a road bike?
 

I have a Schwinn Traveler frame that i just can't seem to do anything right with. I have now put a set of brakes on it that are to big and the pads aren't even close to the rim. I live in Rochester, NY and we get a lot of snow here so i was thinking of putting some mountain bike wheels and tires on it. Has anyone done this? Will it work?

You won't find brakes that will reach far enough. You'd have to get cantilever/v-brake posts brazed on and it's probably not worth the expense when you can probably pick up a decent mid 1990s mountain bike for about the same price. If I wasn't severly cut back on my work hours I would be picking up just such a bike. There are several nice options currently available locally but I can't buy they.

Another option would be to use drum brakes front and rear......They would probably perform well in the snow too. Ukai makes a good rear so you can use a freewheel with good range and Sturmey Archer makes a decent front. You can still get replacement parts for both if you buy them used...I think I have a front alloy 26" (590) wheel built with a Sturmey drum around here somewhere. Probably wouldn't be worth the cost of shipping though.

+1 Pick up a 1990s rigid mountain bike, they are available cheap. You will quickly spend more than that on your plan, and it won't work anyway. Specialized and Trek are common brands.

yea probably. the brakes i have on are pretty big. i think i have about 3/4 to an inch over the 27" rim so they might work. I found a guy on CL that will sell me his for 10 or less so I'm gonna try it (and most likely fail). haha

I put a Rock Shox Quadra 5 on a Schwinn Traveler I had, and used a 26" mountain wheel with a really really narrow tire.

It was fun for a few days :)

what vintage is that Traveler? did it origionally come with 26x1 3/8" or 27" wheels?

i believe it came with 27's. im going to pick up the wheels on friday so we'll see then

Not to hijack, but coincidentally I was just gifted with a rolling basket case Raleigh Rapide that has 26x1 3/8" wheels. I also got a bag full of parts, so this was definitely a road bike at one time. Unfortunately, the wheels are steel and very rusty.

I'm on the fence about stripping for parts or building up.....

Too small. It won't look right. Go with 650B wheels and Panaracer Col De La Vie tires. I converted a mid 80s Peugeot PX 10 into a classic French porteur bike. It handles very beautifully! And that would work.

A guy in Schwicago is doing something similar. He took a Scwhinn cruiser and put MTB wheels on it, added drop bars and an old Brooks-copy saddle. It looks amazing, like a Camaro truck.

Every Rapide I come across ends up a single speed, and flies out the door.